The many faces of translational research: a tale of two studies

Abstract

Translational research can take many forms: bench to bedside, across cultural groups, across geographical boundaries, among others. This case study will share how we addressed all three “translational” issues using two evidence-based studies (USA, Zambia) to illustrate these “roads less traveled.” Our implementation and dissemination efforts were anchored by the “train the trainer” strategy, and the Glasgow RE-AIM model provided programmatic guideposts and direction. Keeping all stakeholders (scientific, community, political) involved in the implementation and dissemination process was an essential, perhaps determining factor in the success of the translation process.

Translation of a comprehensive health behavior intervention for women living with HIV: the SMART/EST Women's Program

“…based research program was implemented and evaluated in five urban community health centers (CHCs) in Miami, New York City (NY), and Northern New Jersey (NJ) [23].…”

Translating evidence-based interventions from research to practice: challenges and lessons learned

“…Several publications from three federally funded studies conducted by UMMSM and CDN over a 10-year period confirmed the evidence base of the program [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15].…”

“…The SMART/EST (Stress Management And Relaxation Training/Emotional Supportive Therapy) Women's Project (SWP) is an evidence-based behavioral intervention designed to enhance the overall quality of life and health status of culturally diverse, disadvantaged women living with HIV/AIDS [3,4] Policy: Support in the form of government funding for community health center training can maximize the success, impact, and scope of translation research in health-care settings.…”

“…Thus, the scientific community has taken on the challenge of demonstrating the utility of research findings through Btranslational^re-search, which examines methods to successfully implement and disseminate academic research findings into clinical and public health service settings. This paper will share with the reader some of the key challenges and Blessons learned^from experiences of this research team with the dissemination and implementation process for a multi-component group behavioral intervention in low-resource primary care settings.The SMART/EST (Stress Management And Relaxation Training/Emotional Supportive Therapy) Women's Project (SWP) is an evidence-based behavioral intervention designed to enhance the overall quality of life and health status of culturally diverse, disadvantaged women living with HIV/AIDS [3,4] Policy: Support in the form of government funding for community health center training can maximize the success, impact, and scope of translation research in health-care settings.Research: Successful translation of behavioral research requires transfer of Bownership^from the research team to the community health centers or targeted providers. …”

“…The SMART/EST (Stress Management And Relaxation Training/Emotional Supportive Therapy) Women's Project (SWP) is an evidence-based behavioral intervention designed to enhance the overall quality of life and health status of culturally diverse, disadvantaged women living with HIV/AIDS [3,4]. The intervention was initially developed in 1996 as a collaborative effort by the research teams of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine (UMMSM) in Miami, FL, and Clinical Directors Network (CDN), a primary care practice-based research network (PBRN) in NY/NJ.…”